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Call Kurtis: Check Your Rental Car Inside And Out Before Leaving The Lot

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Halfway to Portland, Kevin Lee says the low-pressure tire light came on in his rental car. He pulled over to put air in the tire but afraid of a slow leak, he says he alerted Avis.

He says that Avis offered to trade out the car once he got to Portland, saying they couldn't do anything to fix it.

But a month later he got a repair bill for $116 from the rental car company.

"I was like are you kidding me!" Lee exclaimed.

That $116 broke down to:

- $85 to repair the tire
- $6.01 for emergency roadside towing, and
- $25 in administrative fees

Lee says there was no roadside assistance, no tow truck, and he's certain the leak was there when he got the car, but how can he prove it?

"It's not something that's detectable when I pick[ed] it up," he said.

Before driving off the lot, CBS travel editor Peter Greenberg recommends taking out your phone and recording a time-stamped video of the outside and inside of the car, and yes, check the tires.

"Once you leave there, it's essentially your word against theirs," said Greenberg.

We reached out to Avis which said, "We have worked directly with this customer to reach a resolution."

The resolution, Avis knocked $50 off Lee's repair bill.

The company told us if you pay for the extra protection, which Kevin didn't, that Avis generally bears the cost of damage to the vehicle.

But Lee says, "They should provide a product that's 100 percent fully functional."

Now after years of using Avis, Lee says he probably won't use them anymore.

"They shut the door totally in my face," he said.

We suggested to Lee that he contact his credit card company that he used to rent the car. He tells us that they are covering the damage cost.

It was only after we reached out to Avis, that they finally provided Lee a list of repairs and actual cost.

When renting a car you should weigh out your just-in-case options. Some credit card companies offer protection in case something happens to the rental.

If you use your own insurance, you might want to compare the cost of your deductible vs. paying for rental companies' extra protection.

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